A true hero
by Newsflash-I don't care
Summary: Prequel to A small gesture; pre-massacre. A certain Sakura Haruno has had less than a peaceful and happy childhood. Her problems continue bothering her and she doesn't know what to do about it. And a certain Itachi Uchiha finds that it is his job to help the little girl in any way he can.


_**"Heroes"**_** are often people who do things for the sake of being acknowledged.**

_**They help people in need just so others would see them do it and praise them for it.**_

_**But true heros are people who stay in the shadows and do not speak of their acomplishments.**_

_**They are the ones who remain there when everyone else abandons you.**_

_**True heros lend helping hands to everyone and show love only when no one else is around to see it.**_

* * *

"Ha ha! What a loser!''

"You're so useless, you can't do anything right!''

"You're such a klutz! How do you even expect to be a kunoichi?''

"Well, I guess she was thinking of marrying a shinobi. God only knows that she wouldn't be able to marry any other way. What with that huge forehead and weird hair color.''

"Loser!''

"Loser!"

"LOSER!''

* * *

It was nighttime already and the playground was empty, except for one figure lying on the ground beside the tree stumps for training. The little girl was bent into a fetal position and from a distance it looked like she was crying. But the tears stopped hours ago. All that was left were dry tears on her cheeks and now all she felt was numbness. After taking a deep breath, she stood up and wiped the dust off of her clothes and made a decision in her mind.

Sakura Haruno was tired of being bullied.

And she was going to do something about it.

* * *

The next morning in the Academy, Sakura walked into the classroom with her head held high. The little pinkette knew that she was going to be made fun of no matter what she said or did. So she came to school with the idea of not letting them get to her.

At least... That was the plan.

When Sakura walked in, she got dirty looks from her usual bullies, but she paid no attention. When Iruka-sensei started his lecture and Sakura was the only one paying attention and giving correct answers to his questions, they started their first comments for the day.

"Oooooh, check out Sakura-_chan_. Apparently, she thinks she's the smartest one here."

"All hail, Sakura-_hime_!"

Sakura tried to ignore what they said, but the obvious sarcasm hurt her a bit. But nonetheless, she put on a brave face and ignored the rest of their comments for the next few classes. Then, during taijutsu practice, with every target Sakura's kunai hit, they had something "smart" to say.

"Oooooh, look at that, guys. Looks like Sakura-_chan_ finally got lucky and hit a target right."

"Yeah, her hand-eye coordination isn't _so_ bad today. Oh, watch out, Sa-ku-ra!"

One of the girls suddenly threw a shuriken in Sakura's direction and she dodged it just in time, but not before it made a small but on her pale cheek.

"Ooops… I'm _so_ sorry," the purple haired girls' voice was laced with venom.

"Looks like some of your clumsiness rubbed off on me, _Saku-chan_."

Sakura felt tears gather eyes and she knew she couldn't take it anymore. She walked up to the sensei and spoke with a shaky voice.

"Iruka-sensei, may I please be excused and go home? I don't feel so well."

Iruka glanced at her with concerned eyes.

"Yes, of course, Sakura. Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just feel a bit sick," she waved off his question and lied before he had any time for any further questioning. She didn't want sensei, or anyone else, to know that she wasn't able to stand up for herself, it was embarrassing.

"Alright… Well, tell me if you need anything," Iruka looked at her, worried, and put a hand on her small shoulder as a sign of reassurance.

"I will, sensei. Arigato," the little kunoichi bowed her head, went to take her bag and dashed out of the yard.

The young girl picked up her pace, desperate to leave the school, as she heard laughing from the group behind her.

"Ha ha! Cry me a river, eh Sakura?"

"No, don't encourage her! If she cried as much as she can, we might drown!"

"Ha ha! You useless, crybaby!"

"What a loser!"

Sakura couldn't take it anymore and hot tears streamed down her face. She walked through the door of the Academy and bumped into a tall figure, not even seeing the face.

"Gomen," she murmured an apology and started running to get away from the laughter echoing behind her.

* * *

Itachi walked through the Academy halls, trying to find his genjutsu sensei as he needed a few pointers on his extra training. He walked slowly through the halls and headed for the door leading to the backyard.

_Perhaps he's outside._

Suddenly, he heard laughing and incomprehensible words from the children on the training grounds outside. The closer he got, the clearer he could hear the words.

"Yeah, her hand-eye coordination isn't _so_ bad today. Oh, watch out, Sa-ku-ra!"

He walked to the nearest window and looked outside.

"Ooops… I'm so sorry. Looks like some of your clumsiness rubbed of on me, Saku-chan."

There was a short pause and then snickering.

The young male heard the rest of the conversation clearly as he watched the group of children, mostly girls, pick on a little, pink haired girl with a red ribbon in her hair who looked like she was going to cry at any moment. Her little hands were clenched into fists and her face was filled with anger and hurt. The small kunoichi then walked over hastily to her sensei, asking him something. To Itachi, it looked like she was asking for permission to leave. His suspicions were confirmed when she went to her bag and practically ran to the exit.

The young male walked to the door with the intention to stop her, even for a moment, if nothing else then at least to memorize her face. Sure enough, her had was bowed down, trying to hide her tears, so she didn't see him standing in the entryway.

"Gomen," she almost whispered as she bumped into his leg.

The girl raised her head enough for him to memorize three characteristics on her face: her rosy, chipped lips, emerald green eyes and a large forehead. Itachi glanced at her back as she was walking away. There was a white circle on the back of her shirt, symbolizing her clan.

_Haruno… Sakura Haruno, eh?_

The dark haired shinobi gazed down on the ground and spotted a red hairband laying there. It was the one that little girl had in her hair. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

Itachi stood there a few seconds longer and then walked away, returning to his previous matters.

* * *

Sakura walked out of the Academy and headed to her house, her pace quickening every second. She felt more liquid slide down her face, the tears and blood from the cut on her cheek smearing and blending together. The young kunoichi finally reached her home, somewhat happy to find the house empty. Her parents were probably on a mission again.

Sakura threw her shoes off and dropped her bag in the hallway and ran upstairs into her room, closing the door behind her. She fell on the bed lifelessly and sobbed into her pillow, finally letting herself cry out loud. Her little body began shaking from the intensity of her cries and she clenched the pillow tighter, her knuckles turning white.

_Why do they keep doing this?! What have I ever done to __any__ of them?! I can't take it anymore…_

Sakura's sobs finally died down as her mind started racing with ideas that should never be in a little girl's head.

_I'd be better off to everyone if I was just dead and gone…_

In her act of desperation, she reached for the kunai on her bedside table, but her actions were cut short as she heard a firm knock on the front door.

Sakura dropped the weapon back on its place and ran down the stairs. She quickly wiped off the smeared blood and tears from her pale cheeks and unlocked the door.

"Sakura, sweetie!"

The young girl didn't know whether she was pleased to see her parents back early or irritated.

Her mother walked through the door gracefully, acting like a "true kunoichi", as she often said. To Sakura's mother, a real kunoichi was supposed to be smart, strong when she need be, but also obedient when she need be and beautiful, with the traditional marks of beauty, such as long, beautiful brown or blonde hair, soft but also seductive face and a feminine body with curves. To say that she was a bit disappointed when she saw her daughter grow up to have ridiculous pink hair and freakishly green eyes was an understatement. She was trying to convince her daughter to grow out her hair at the very least, but from what she sees that'll take too long.

Sakura's father was closed off and aloof man. He was the head of the house and his word was always final. Although that was the case, he was usually away from home on missions, so ever since Sakura was little she was always with her mother who stayed behind to take care of her child. Sakura knew how much her mother loved being a shinobi and going on missions so she always felt like her mother resented her for having to stay at home and look after her. Sakura knew her parents loved her very much, the problem was…

They didn't really know how to show it.

The young girl's mother would often yell out at her for even the smallest things and was a very temperamental woman. Sakura felt like she was always at the end of her nerves and she never really knew what she should say with out setting her off, so with years she learned to just stay quiet. Her father would never get involved with their fights, because he deemed it a "woman's matter" and that it was none of his business.

So, little Sakura was stuck between a rock, being her home, and a hard place, being the Academy, practically all of her life. When she met her friend, Ino Yamanaka, she thought that she finally found someone to rely on and Ino would often protect her from her tormentors, but that didn't last long when Ino found out that they share the same crush, Sasuke Uchiha. So the two girls started drifting apart and eventually, Sakura was back to being alone. Even after that little fight between them, Ino would sometimes still defend Sakura in class, but those occasions were rare.

Sakura snapped back from her musings when she heard her stern mother's voice.

"Sakura."

"Yes, okaa-san?"

The young kunoichi followed her mother's angry gaze to see her discarded shoes and bag still on the floor where she left them. Her green eyes widened with fear. She was so upset over what happened today she completely forgot to put her shoes in there place and take her bag up to her room.

_And here comes the yelling…_

She was right.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO PUT YOUR SHOES AWAY PROPERLY?! HONESTLY, SAKURA, ARE YOU EVEN GOOD FOR _ANYTHING_?"

Sakura felt warm tears gather in her eyes once again.

_Damn it, what's wrong with me today? I can usually control my tears. Why is this happening?_

"Go-gomen, okaa-san," she was barely able to stutter out.

The girl started picking up her things swiftly and putting them back into their places. She looked at her mother once again, but realized from the look on her face that if she said anything more it would be even worse.

"I'm sorry… Excuse me," she bowed her head a little and ran up the stairs before her mother had time to say anything else.

Sakura opened the door to her room and slammed it behind her before falling on the bed into the position she was in before her parents came back home.

She felt another round of sobs coming, so she pushed her head into her pillow again, not wanting her parents to hear her.

_Mom would probably just call me weak and tell me that I deserved it. And I'm not sure that dad would even react._

The little girl clutched herself and tried to control her crying at least a bit. She tried focusing on the few things that make her happy and it seemed to work. As she thought of training alone with no one bothering her, her sobs stopped. As she thought of her future life and how she might actually find real friends, her tears stopped as well.

And as she thought of the few conversations she had with Sasuke and the couple of times she made him smile a little bit, it brought a smile to her face as well.

But her train of thoughts was disrupted as she heard a shuffle in front of her window.

Sakura's heartrate quickened and she felt fear inside her. But she realized it was no time to be scared. So she quickly stood up and grabbed the kunai from her night table and ran outside on her balcony, her small hands shaking, but her face determined.

However, she didn't find anyone near her window or balcony. She looked around the street but when she didn't see any potential threats, she walked back inside and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Itachi finished his work earlier than expected, as usual, so he walked through the streets of Konoha, killing his spare time. He really didn't feel like going back to his house, since he knew his father was there today.

_I honestly don't need another lecture on how I should behave myself. And I don't need him to see that I have free time, otherwise he'll insist that I go on more missions._

The young male sighed inwardly and continued walking between the buildings.

Suddenly, as he passed the Haruno residence, he heard yelling coming from the inside.

"HONESTLY, SAKURA, ARE YOU EVEN GOOD FOR ANYTHING?!"

_Sakura? That's the girl from earlier._

That was a female's voice. Itachi was guessing it was the girl's mother. As he remembered the young pinkette, his hand unconsciously went into his pocket and pulled the soft fabric through his fingers. The male jumped on the roof under the windowsill, determined to find out more.

He heard fumbles and sort of whispers and then fast footsteps coming up the stairs. The door of the room that he was closest to opened and closed quickly. He moved just the smallest bit to see through the window. Sure enough, the little pink haired girl from before practically ran inside and crashed upon the bed. Itachi saw her tears and heard her quiet sobs being muffled by the pillow she was holding.

The sadness actually flew out of her in waves and he even felt her feeble chakra signature weaken even more from her misery. He could honestly feel her pain and it actually physically hurt him to see her so broken down.

_What is this feeling? Why is her sadness affecting me this much?_

Itachi clutched his chest as he saw her wrap her small arms around her body and lightly sway back and forth, trying to calm herself down. He studied the features on her face and he noticed something was changing. She seemed focused on something and within a couple of minutes her sobs stopped. Then after a few more minutes, her tears stopped falling as well. And then, the thing he thought was completely impossible in this situation, she pushed herself off the bed, her eyes still distant, and she…

_Smiled._

Itachi watched her smile for a few seconds and he felt as if he was mesmerized. Was it the fact that he never saw someone recover from such tremendous heartache in such a short period of time or that a little girl such as herself was able to control her tears like that?

Or was it… something else?

The young man found himself deep in thought as well, but he jumped up in the air and hid on a rooftop of the building next to him as he heard the leaves beneath his feet shuffle loudly.

He was surprised to see the little girl run out on the teracce with a kunai in hand, looking for the source of the sound. Her hands were shaking in fear, he noticed, but the determination and fearlessness on her face stunned him. After she found no intruder, she walked back inside.

Itachi glanced down on the spot where he was standing and saw a small squirrel pushing itself out of the leaves.

_Tch. Damn squirrel._

He cursed the innocent animal once again before heading home.

* * *

Sakura walked through the playground on her way to school. She would ask her parents to stay home today, given that she really didn't feel like going through the same fiasco as the day before. But, knowing that her mother was still on edge and could lose her temper at any moment, she decided to just suck it up and take it.

The young kunoichi passed the swing set before she heard shuffling behind her. She looked around her and reached for a weapon before a shuriken hit her upper right arm. She fell to the ground and before she knew it, she was surrounded. They were wearing colorful masks that resembled the ANBU masks, but she knew that these were the plastic ones that kids get on town fairs and festivals. Sakura wasn't stupid. She could clearly see that these were just her badly disguised classmates.

The young girl jumped out of the way when one of her attackers threw the first punch. If it was just two or three of them, Sakura knew that she would be able to fight them off, but there was seven, maybe eight of them there. She was way outnumbered.

She didn't stand a chance.

The pinkette dodged a few of their kunais and needles and was able to block and counter a few kicks and punches, but in the end one of the girls swept her feet off the ground making her fall flat on her back, a couple of shurikens plunged into her legs and arms, another girl with nunchuks at least fractured on of her ribs and a girl with purple hair punched her in the face several times and pulled out a fistful of her pink hair.

Sakura was sure that that girl was Ami. She could recognize her hair along with her ruthlessness anytime.

The pink haired girl was finally down on the ground unable to fight back anymore or even to stand up. She curled up, protecting her vital organs. This was the first time that they just used brute strength without any insults or other mental torture. They just kept hitting and kicking her over and over and Sakura felt that she was going to blackout soon. But before she entirely passed out from the pain, she felt a wave of fire blow through the field and surround them. The children soon started shrieking.

"Aaaah!"

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, but it's not good!"

"Let's get out of here!"

With that, her attackers were gone and so was the fire around her. Sakura wanted to muster up the strength to get up, but all she could do was rise her head and shoulders off the ground. Her vision was clouded and she could only see a tall man walking towards her. She felt him pick her up in his arms and jump off into a direction unknown to her. His presence was unfamiliar to her, but somehow the feeling of his strong arms felt reassuring to her.

She felt _safe_.

And so, she allowed the darkness to overcome her as she started to fall asleep and rested her pink head on his left shoulder, as he continued to glide through the trees.

* * *

Itachi was certain that something bad was going to happen to Sakura today as well, so he decided to follow her to school. He was a few trees behind her when she reached the playground.

_What is she doing? Why didn't she just keep going? She has enough time, there's no need for a shortcut._

It's like he predicted what was coming. Soon enough, the pink haired girl was surrounded by a group of eight „ANBU". Itachi was certain those were her classmates.

The raven haired boy was just about to intervene when her body hit the ground, but she suddenly jumped up and began to fight back. It wasn't much, but she was able to block most of their hits and dodge their weapons. Itachi stood on one of the branches, watching the fight lightly dumbfounded. He never expected her to actually fight back.

_This girl is full of surprises…_

Of course, as admirable as her bravery was, he knew it wouldn't last too long. Finally, a purple haired girl kicked her to the ground and they collectively charged at her. Itachi watched her try to defend herself for a couple of minutes before she gave up and lied on the ground helplessly.

The young shinobi straightened on the branch and knew he had to do something not too dangerous as to not actually _hurt _the children, but just scare them away. He performed a few hand signs and activated a genjutsu that emitted in the form of fire waves that surrounded the entire playground. The children started screaming, their little minds certain that the fire was real. Soon enough, they all ran away, leaving Sakura to lay on the ground, nearly unconscious.

Itachi released the genjutsu and jumped on the ground. He ran to her, quickly scanning her injuries, deciding that it would be best to take her somewhere to treat her wounds. Without hesitation, the young man picked her up bridal style and jumped through the trees, towards the Uchiha complex.

_Father's on a mission, mother went to a friend's house and Sasuke's in school. The house is probably empty. So no one will make a problem about this._

Itachi reassured himself in his mind as he picked up the pace.

* * *

Sakura finally came to and she felt softness all around her aching body. When she opened her jade eyes, she knew she didn't recognize the place she was in. The room was rather dark as the only light source was the lamp near the bed. The walls were painted dark blue and the room itself seemed quite simple. Just a bed, a desk with scrolls and papers laying on it, a chair, a cabinet and a window with red curtains. The main colors of the room were blue, red and white and it all seemed somehow familiar to her. She just didn't know why.

She wanted to raise up her body in a sitting position, but every muscle of her body hurt as soon as her upper back left the soft pillows she way lying on.

"Don't move too much, you need to rest."

A masculine, male voice startled her as her head turned to the direction from which the voice came.

There was a tall, handsome man standing in the doorway of the room. Sakura would probably say he was in his twenties if it weren't for his height and the rather soft look in his charcoal eyes that stood out from the rest of his seemingly emotionless face.

_He looks older, but he's probably just a teenager._

The boy looked at her for a second before starting to walk towards her.

The little girl lightly jumped in fear and pulled the blanket she was covered with to her chest. Itachi stopped, seeing her frightened reaction.

"As hard as this may be for you to believe, I really mean you no harm. You can see for yourself," the dark haired male said calmly as he pointed to the bandages on her arms, legs and torso.

The green eyed girl looked down on her wounded body, realizing that all of her injuries were treated, some of them even healed. She looked at the boy in front of her, still in light disbelief. But then the same feeling of safety and assurance came over her and her guard went down.

_Why do I feel so safe and secure around him?_

As if he read her mind, Itachi reached into his pocket.

Sakura flinched lightly again, worried he might pull out a weapon of some sort.

But instead, as she saw the familiar red fabric in his hands, her eyes widened with surprise.

"Wh-where did you get that?"

"You dropped it yesterday when you bumped into me as you were leaving the Academy."

Sakura's mind raced as she tried to remember and she recalled hitting a tall figure before sprinting off home.

Itachi watched her face as she tried to remember the previous day. He used the opportunity of her dazed state to come near her and tie the red ribbon back into her hair. He felt her body completely freeze under his hands. He could tell that, if she wasn't frozen with fear, she would probably try to fight him. So he backed away another few steps, giving her her space.

The young man expected her to perhaps yell for help or do something reckless, but instead she simply asked him a question.

"Who are you?"

Itachi glanced at her, slight surprise written in his gaze. Her voice was still frightened, yes, but she didn't stutter and she sounded firm. There was actual bravery in her stance.

_I didn't expect that._

The young male smiled to himself before taking the chair and sitting next to her. He saw her involuntarily flinch at his nearness, but she covered it up well.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he started off calmly, trying to follow her reaction on her face.

It took Sakura a couple of seconds before it dawned on her.

"Wait! You're Sasuke-kun's brother?"

"Aa."

_No wonder he looked familiar! They have the same eyes…_

The little girl stared in awe at the teen boy, mesmerized by his good looks. Itachi looked back at her, feeling lightly uncomfortable from her stare, but being flattered at the same time. A miniscule blush appeared on his pale face.

"As I was saying…"

Sakura snapped from her musings as she realized the young man was speaking again and focused on his voice.

"I saw what happened to you," the raven haired boy continued, waiting to see her reaction.

The pink haired kunoichi looked at him in surprise, realizing that he was the one who saved her earlier.

_But… Why?_

"Why did you save me?"

Again, she caught him off guard. He expected surprise, shame, silence, perhaps even tears but her direct actions kept astonishing him.

_Then I guess there's no need for holding back._

"Because you can't give up yet."

The girl's green eyes widened.

"What?"

"You're strong. You're capable. You're intelligent and brave. And you can do more than this," Itachi kept talking and Sakura kept looking in disbelief.

"I saved you because I believe that one day someone's life will depend on you just like yours depended on me today. I believe that one day you will a powerful shinobi and that every person in this village will know your name."

Sakura looked at him with her mouth hanging slightly open and she was unaware that she was holding her breath.

"But also… When I look at you… I believe that your life and existence is worth fighting for. So don't give up on it just yet."

_**I can see something in you…**_

Sakura finally let out her breath and looked into his eyes for confirmation.

_Is it possible? Is it possible that someone believes that I'm strong? That I'm worth something?_

Itachi looked back at her, his black eyes softening as he gave her a small, but reassuring smile.

_**A power… An energy…**_

_Is it possible that someone actually __believes in me__?_

"T-thank you," the girl finally found her voice, even though she knew not what to speak.

_**I see the good in your eyes. And it draws me in.**_

"I only say the truth and what I see. But, you're welcome," the male answered truthfully.

Sakura blushed as she bowed her head and smiled sweetly at the thought that there is actually someone who has faith in her.

"Don't let them treat you like that again," Itachi made her look at him once more.

"You deserve respect. So next time, _make_ them respect you."

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes once again, before simply smiling and nodding her head.

_**And somehow I know that… One day… My life will depend on you.**_

_**So I must protect you.**_

_**No matter what.**_

* * *

Sakura sat under the tree in the backyard of the Academy as she ate her bento during lunch time. Her face was filled with light bruises and her body was covered with bandages in several places, but she didn't mind. She just smiled to herself as she thought of the day before and of her new friend.

But her sudden happiness was not well appreciated amongst some of her classmates.

"Tch! What the hell is she so damn happy about?" The purple haired girl growled as she bit down on her thumb at the sight of the happy pinkette.

"What are you gonna do about it, Ami?" Another girl with curly light brown hair asked.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but… I have an idea how to wipe the big forehead's smile off her face _for good_," Ami grinned to herself as she turned to her friends and explained her plan to them.

Sakura was packing up her lunch as Ami and a couple of her friends walked up to her.

_Not them again…_

A wave of insecurity washed over Sakura instantly, but then she remembered Itachi's words from the day before.

_That's right. I have to stand up to them. What would Itachi-san think of me if I just continue letting them hassle me like this? No. I have to defend myself._

_I have to make him proud._

"Hi, Sa-ku-ra," Ami said in a sing-song voice making the girl immediately notice that there's something different going on this time.

"Hello, Ami…" Sakura greeted her, uncertain of what was going to happen.

"So listen, Sakura… The girls and I were talking and… We realized we have been treating you rather… _Harshly_."

_Harshly? How about demonically?_

"So we wanted to apologize," Ami finished with a big "smile" on her face.

"Really? Thanks, you guys!" Sakura's gratitude and her excitement were as real as Ami's smile.

"Well, now that we're _friends_, we wanted to invite you to come hang out with us on the playground after school today," the purple haired girl continued.

"Really? That is _so_ nice of you!"

"And also… I know for a _fact_ that Sasuke-kun is interested in you, _Saku-chan_!"

Sakura stopped with the charade for a second, contemplating what Ami just said.

_She knows how much I like him. Would she really stoop __so__ low to hurt me like this? I can't believe how evil she is._

No matter how much the fact that Ami was just saying this to mess with her again was hurting Sakura, she still decided to play along with her little mind game.

_This time I'll show her how this game is played._

"Are you serious?! I can't believe it! Are you sure?" The Haruno kunoichi put all of her acting skills into this.

"Yep," Ami forced another smile. "He'll be at the playground today after school. You can talk to him yourself if you want."

Sakura was taken aback once again.

_Is she serious? Will he really be there? No, no, I'm sure this is just another one of her tricks. No need to panic now._

"Oh yes, I would love too!" Sakura grinned at Ami, showing her white teeth.

"Great, we'll see you there after school then," Ami smiled more to herself than to Sakura as she walked away, taking her group of lackeys with her.

The pink haired girl stood there for another couple of seconds, before leaving as well.

_I wonder what's her plan this time…_

* * *

Sakura walked confidently towards the playground after her last class was finished. She didn't know what waited for her there, but all she knew is that, no matter what it was, she was going to fight back this time. She finally reached her destination and she saw the group stand by the swing set just about fifteen feet away from her. She stopped for a moment before she was close enough for them to see her so she can take a deep breath and recompose herself.

Then, she walked straight toward them.

"Hi, guys!" Sakura greeted them.

"Oh, hi _Sakura_," Ami was the first to notice her.

"So… What are we going to do now?" The young kunoichi stuffed her hands in her pockets casually, as she swayed back and forth on her heels.

"Well, the girls and I had an idea…" Ami trailed off as soon as she started.

Sakura's eyes turned into slits.

_Here it comes…_

"Oh, wait, I know! Why don't we ask _Sasuke-kun_ what does he want to do?" Ami turned to the raven haired boy standing a few feet behind her.

Sakura's heart stopped for a moment. She couldn't believe he was really there. She looked at him closely.

The boy really looked like Sasuke. His hands were stuffed in his pockets as usual, he had the same hair, the same outfit her always wore, the same attitude and mannerisms… But she saw it.

There was something in his eyes… Something that usually wasn't there and also something missing.

The coldness and disinterest that she usually saw in his stare was replaced by some sort of… Excitement and anticipation.

Sakura smirked.

She knew it.

_That's not Sasuke._

"Wow, Ami… Uhm, I don't know how to tell you this, but, uh…" Sakura started scratching the back of her pink head for emphasis.

"Your friends _really_ need to work on their transformation skills, because that is the worst impersonation of Sasuke-kun I have ever seen," the girl said rather smugly.

Ami's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth with anger.

The boy that was transformed into Sasuke released his jutsu and his face was as raging as Ami's.

"You little _brat_!" The purple headed girl hissed as she lunged at Sakura.

Sakura dodged Ami's attack easily, but realized she needed to step up her game when the other girl pulled out a kunai knife. Sakura reached into her pouch and pulled out a shuriken that countered the kunai that Ami threw at her.

Soon enough, the rest of the group attacked Sakura as well. The girl focused and tapped into her brain, remembering everything she has ever learned about being a shinobi.

She remembered her father teaching her how to take a proper stance when being attacked by multiple enemies at once. She turned to the side, separated her legs and crouched, being able to see all of them at once and able to read all of their moves.

She remembered her mother teaching her how to protect her face and vital organs from being damaged. She put a kunai in front of her face that blocked all of the weapons trying to reach her head and her free arm was bent and close to her body, defending her heart, lungs and other organs from potential attacks.

She remembered when Iruka-sensei thaught them the basics of taijutsu and what is the proper way to attack your opponent. What part of the body should you focus on and how to attack the part of body that is the weakest and unprotected. That's when Sakura blocked Ami's punch and went to strike her with her free hand. Of course, Ami blocked her attack, but she left her torso and legs open and vulnerable.

Sakura smirked.

She kept Ami's arms together with her hands as she went into a crouching position and with one swift movement of her right leg, Ami lost her balance and started falling to the ground. That's when Sakura used her moment of complete defenselessness to kick her in the stomach which sent her tumbling for about ten feet away from Sakura.

All of the kids stopped for a moment to watch in awe as Ami lied on the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. Sakura could see the worry in their eyes, but it wasn't for Ami. It was for themselves, since they were no longer so sure if they were going to win this fight so easily as before.

But, in the end, they decided to continue their attacks anyway.

The pink haired girl continued her lucky streak with every next kid that lunged at her. She was perfectly able to block all of their weapons, counter all of their kicks and punches and land a few blows herself. Soon enough, the children started retreating one by one as they saw that the Haruno girl was no longer someone they could easily mess with.

The only person that was left on the playground with Sakura was Ami.

The purple haired girl slowly pushed herself onto her feet once again as she stumbled forward and her dark eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think you're so much better, huh?!" Ami yelled.

Sakura looked at her quizzically, genuinely not knowing what the girl is talking about.

"You always act like a know-it-all! Always doing good in class, always knowing the answer, always getting great grades! Well, guyess what? You're _nothing_! You're a _loser_!" Ami's rage made tears form in the corners of her brown eyes.

And Sakura finally saw what this was all about.

"Ami… Do you _envy_ me?"

The entire playground was shaking from her laughter.

"ME?! ENVY _YOU_? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Sakura looked at the girl laughing in front of her as if the idea was insane to her. And for the first time there was no anger, no resentment… Only pity.

Sakura took a few steps forward. She stopped when she was only about ten inches away from Ami. She reached out her hand to touch the girl's shoulder.

_Just because we've had our differences doesn't mean we can't sort them out._

"Ami, listen…"

"NO! Don't touch me!" Ami smacked her hand away in disgust and backed away a few steps.

"How could I possibly be envious of someone as pathetic as you?!"

Sakura clenched her fists. She's had enough of Ami's insults. She has been taking them for years and she was sick of it.

"You're nothing but a pathetic nobody!"

_This ends now._

"_Enough_!"

Ami stopped her rant as the girl in front of her fumed. The purple haired girl looked at Sakura with pure fear in her eyes. The girl's tone was menacing and her chakra radiated off of her in waves.

"I am sick and tired of you calling me useless, pathetic and a loser! I'm _not_ useless! I am _strong_!" Sakura yelled as she lunged at Ami. The girl was barely able to block her first punch.

"I am _capable_!"

Sakura continued attacking and this time Ami wasn't able to get away from her fist in time. The impact sent her tumbling on the ground again.

"I am _intelligent_! And I am _brave_!"

The pink headed girl punched her bully straight in the face as Ami started to get up.

"And I am _much_ better than this," Angry tears streamed down her face, her emerald eyes fierce and determined.

"So next time you even try to speak to me, include a dose of respect into your tone because I won't take your insults anymore. I'm done with you," Sakura finished and started walking away from the dumbfounded girl still laying on the ground, watching the Haruno's back disappear in the distance.

* * *

Itachi stood up from the branch he was sitting on when the fight was finally done. He watched Sakura walk away from the scene and the girl she left behind was still laying on the ground a couple of more minutes after she was already gone. Then the girl picked herself up, dusted the dirt from her long skirt and staggered away, probably going home.

He was proud of Sakura.

She did exactly what he had asked her to, and she even exceeded his expectations once again.

_That girl sure is something…_

"Itachi!"

The dark haired boy turned around to see his cousin jump on the branch next to him and greet him with a smirk.

"Shisui," Itachi nodded his greeting.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home already?" Shisui questioned his friend as he took a glance at the playground. He let out a breath of surprise.

The entire ground was covered with shurikens and kunais and the empty parts of ground were raked as if there were bodies dragged through dirt.

"What on Earth happened here?"

The young Uchiha took another glance at the playground. He could still feel her chakra linger in the air. It was strong. What more, it actually gave him strength just feeling it. He looked at the spot where she was last standing. He could still see her outlines in his head. The short pink hair, her red ribbon tightly tied on her head, where he left it the day before. The green eyes that shone with bravery and determination. Her small hands, clenched into fists, ready to fight back.

_**She's going to be something special.**_

"Oi? Itachi?"

The male in question looked at his friend. Itachi took a moment to contemplate whether or not he should tell Shisui the truth. They were best friends. And he was certain that he would not say a word to Fugaku. He would understand his actions and why he helped the girl and why he was so insistant on being near her. But instead, he simply answered.

"I don't really know. I just got here a couple of minutes ago."

And with that, they both left.


End file.
